I'm learning to play piano, and I was wondering if there are any tips that people have. It can be anything, I'm just curious as to what different things that you can do to make it a bit more natural. For example, are there any exercises (with hands, most likely) that will help out?
noe >.< he is a professional, and a learning beginner can't start playing while not looking at the keyboard.... it is really hard...
I beg to differ. It certainly depends on how much you've played the piece, but I always found it much easier to play from memory than from a sheet, even when I was starting out. I guess I have a good mechanical memory.
I always found it much easier to play from memory than from a sheet
Well he said that it is very difficult to start playing without seeing the keyboard. You could learn the song from memory, but it's going to be a lot harder if you can't even see the person playing the song. You'd have to be very familiar with all the sounds of the piano. You could play by ear...but that's a bit different.
Are you just starting out or are you seeking to gain virtuosity?
WARMING UP AND TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT:
Most of my tips will come from the Russian piano school, which is initially about strength and flexibility, then later on about the control of distribution of weight and attack force. At least from a purely technical approach.
As Parsat pointed out, Czerny is a good starting point, but if you're looking to gain strength and suppleness, I would highly recommend Hanon. If you go to any decent music store and mention Hanon they should know what you're talking about, otherwise it's more specifically Hanon's exercises for the piano virtuoso, or something like that. 1-20 are excellent for developing the strength of independence of motion of your fingers.
Contrary motion scales as DDX suggested on page 1 are also good...if you aren't already familiar with international standard fingering I would get a scales book for that purpose, because being strict with fingering at a learning stage is absolutely essential in order to get the hang of 3-1 and 4-1 crossovers.
Other scale practices I would suggest are arpeggios (there's lots of variations). 166 is a decent clip though if you really have mastered the art of relaxation, you should be able to max out a metronome and still play it 100%...that will take some time.
If done properly, a warmup will take heaps long. But because I no longer play seriously and don't have heaps long, I just start off with a 3-4-5 exercise done by Horowitz. I think it'd be wasting my time if I described it, so I'll try and post a sheet example later.
As for finger posture, the cornerstone of the first level of my technique would be the practice of drawing each and every finger back into my palm as I play (practice only, not necessarily performance!!!) If you do this properly, you will find it to be an excruciating process at first but if you start slowly and work your way up, you will find things much easier.
Some schools of thought are very rigid about finger posture, and I feel it is still useful to teach some form of posture (cupped hands is a popular choice), though with qualifications. I would add that the general aim of this is to instill a habit first and then, if you continue with piano study, you will gain an understanding of how your technique directly affects your playing. As such I believe that different postures are suited to different contexts.
LEARNING MUSIC:
I initially started out with the Suzuki Method, which trains musicians primarily by ear. It has its advantages (better ears) and disadvantages (neglected sightreading ability), but as to what you do will probably depend on what suits you.
That's all I have time for, if there are any specific questions, feel free to post them etc. or ask the other guys!
"I beg to differ. It certainly depends on how much you've played the piece, but I always found it much easier to play from memory than from a sheet, even when I was starting out. I guess I have a good mechanical memory."
I mean sight read. Stevie wonder does not look at the keys or the music sheet. Some people when they've played enough piano, they develop the ability to project their hands onto a mental piano and therefore they can play blindfolded as long as they remember the notes.
I recommend learning to play songs fast but in beat. Once you learn how to move your fingers smoothly, you'll be able to practice Classical music. After you master Classical music, you can play anything. I recommend Jazz after that. It's really fun, teaches you rhythm and it's the best way to learn to be creative with your music.
I mean sight read. Stevie wonder does not look at the keys or the music sheet. Some people when they've played enough piano, they develop the ability to project their hands onto a mental piano and therefore they can play blindfolded as long as they remember the notes.
Stevie Wonder was blind from birth, so he had to play that way. But still, I have found that with the pieces I have played for years I wouldn't have to see a sheet or the keys to play them, with a few mistakes perhaps.
Just note: learning to master a piece by playing it blindfolded isn't necessarily the stuff of mere legend. I did this sometimes if I have to be 100% confident of a performance, and besides, I had other things to think about other than where the notes were.
